How to Keep Your Audience Engaged During a Live Webinar

Key takeaways:

• Planned interaction keeps viewers involved: polls, quizzes, an open chat, viewers on stage and breakout rooms all work, and on average 31% of viewers took part in an interaction per webinar.

• Shorter webinars did not attract more live viewers. With an average length of 72 minutes and 7.3% of viewers leaving in the first five minutes, a quick start matters more than a short runtime.

• Benchmarks differ by type and audience: sales webinars had the highest participation (56.2%), and B2B viewers watched 74% of a webinar versus 65% for B2C.

To keep your audience engaged during a live webinar, it's important to plan different types of interaction. You can prepare polls, quizzes or a call to action in advance. An open chat, the opportunity to ask questions and the ability to vote on questions can also encourage more interaction. This way, you actively involve your audience in your presentation.

It's also important to keep an eye on your webinar's viewing time. According to our benchmark report, shorter webinars did not attract more live viewers.

How long should a webinar be?

The duration of your webinar is entirely up to you. It can be short or longer, depending on your needs. However, there are a few interesting insights worth considering when deciding. In 2024, the average webinar lasted 70 minutes, compared to 72 minutes in 2026. The average viewing time was almost an hour. On average, 7.3% of viewers also dropped off within the first five minutes.

You can influence this by:

• Allowing enough time to explain your topic clearly and answer questions.

• Making sure your webinar delivers on what you promise on the registration page.

• Keeping your introduction short and getting to the main topic quickly.

Don't forget to review your webinar afterwards to see when viewers drop off. Use these insights to improve your next webinar.

5 tips to keep viewers from dropping off

Adults don't have the longest attention spans anymore. But during a webinar, you want people to keep listening and watching, while also actively participating. In the webinars we studied, an average of 31% of viewers took part in an interaction during each webinar.

So how do you make interaction part of your webinar? And what types of interaction should you use?

1. Plan a poll or quiz around an important topic

This allows you to see whether viewers are actually following along and taking in the information you're sharing. It encourages them to pay closer attention while making your webinar more interactive.

2. Turn your presentation into a conversation

Simply listening to a presentation isn't always enough to keep people's attention. We have a feature that allows you to bring viewers on stage. This gives them the opportunity to ask you questions directly and have a real conversation with you, rather than just submitting questions through the Q&A.

3. Make your chat public

With a public chat, viewers can not only ask questions but also talk to each other. Worried that it might become too distracting? You can always limit the chat so that only team members can send messages.

4. Include a call to action

Let's say you're hosting a webinar about a new product. You could use a call to action to generate more sales or offer an exclusive discount to people watching. You can also link a URL to your call to action to direct viewers to your website or a limited-time offer.

5. Bring your audience together in breakout rooms

Divide your viewers into smaller rooms where they can talk, collaborate and share ideas. This gives everyone more room to speak up and actively participate.

How does interaction differ between webinar types?

Not every webinar is the same. Maybe you're hosting a sales webinar, a training session or a community webinar. Our benchmark report provides insights into how interaction differs across webinar types, allowing you to compare these findings with your own webinars.

For example, we found that sales webinars had the highest active participation rate, at 56.2%. Sales webinars also had the longest viewing times, alongside community and training webinars, at around 64 minutes. For customer onboarding webinars, viewers watched the largest proportion of the session: 82.1%.

B2B or B2C viewers: what's the difference?

According to our benchmark report, B2B viewers watch an average of 74% of a webinar. For B2C viewers, that figure is 65%.

There's another interesting finding: half of B2B viewers watch at least 90% of the webinar. For B2C viewers, that figure is 38%. This means that B2B viewers generally watch a larger portion of a webinar.

You can use B2B and B2C figures as a benchmark for your own viewing goals and to track whether your results are improving.

Keep in mind that these percentages show how much of the webinar someone watches, not how many minutes they spend watching.

Ultimately, it all comes down to your goals and your audience. What do you want to achieve with your webinar, and who are you trying to reach? Do you want to share knowledge or put your product in the spotlight? Make sure your polls, quizzes and Q&A sessions align with those goals. And don't forget to compare your results with webinars that have similar goals and audiences.

What to keep in mind for your next webinar

You want viewers to keep watching, actively participate and get something valuable out of your webinar. That's why it's important to include plenty of opportunities for interaction, such as polls, quizzes, an open chat or breakout rooms. Think carefully about the length of your webinar, too, and make sure you get to the point quickly.

After your webinar, take a look at your results. When do viewers drop off? How long do they stay, and which interactions work best? Use these insights to make your next webinar even better. And don't forget to send a replay, so people who couldn't attend live still have the chance to watch your webinar later.

Frequently asked questions

How long should a webinar be?

That depends on your topic, audience and the goal of your webinar. According to our benchmark report, webinars last around 70 minutes on average, and viewers typically stay for almost an hour. Use this as a guideline, but focus on your own results.

How do I keep viewers engaged during a webinar?

Turn your presentation into a conversation rather than just talking to your audience. Get viewers involved with interactive features, such as breakout rooms where they can talk to each other, bringing viewers on stage so they can speak directly with you, and answering questions from the Q&A.

Is it a good idea to record a webinar?

The great thing about recording your webinar is that it doesn't have to end when the live broadcast is over. By sending a replay, you can also reach people who couldn't attend live and give participants the opportunity to watch the content again whenever it suits them.